Digimon Riders
by DigiRider
Summary: The Digital World has been ravaged by a terrible war and its aftermath. As it rebuilds, a young man named Tetsuo finds himself thrust into action as part of a new team of Digidestined, fighting against forces that could destroy everything in the Digital World..and possibly the real world.


Digimon Riders

Episode 1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Tetsuo Murakami woke up to find that he was facedown in sand. He immediately moved to get up, and an immediate spasm of pain flew down his right arm. He collapsed back down to the ground.

"_The hell..where am I?"_

Either he was having a very vivid dream, or he had somehow gotten transported from his bedroom in Shinjuku, to what appeared to be a flat desert from his brief scan of his surroundings. Tetsuo decided to test the theory by the good old trick of pinching himself. The sharp pinch in his side, along with the throbbing pain in his arm confirmed it. This was not a dream.

But where was he? Tetsuo had paid enough attention to his high school geography course to know that there weren't any deserts in Japan, the closest thing were the Tottori Sand Dunes. But those were hundreds of miles away from his home. And there was a large town near it, not to mention the ocean. Finally, this desert seemed pleasant, it probably wasn't any warmer than 70 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But as he slowly got to his feet, wincing at the pain shooting through his arm, he couldn't see ANY of those things. So maybe he was much further. Like Central Asia. Or the Middle East. Or America. He quickly patted down his pockets. Shit. He left his cell phone in his bedroom. So, he couldn't call anyone.

He looked around his surroundings again. Looking a little closer, Tetsuo saw a road in the distance. With a road came signs. With signs came town names, a sense of where he was. So, he might be able to find a way out of this after all. He walked towards the road. The ground was hard, and gritty, making it relatively easy to walk. As he did so, he gingerly moved his right arm. It moved without much effort, but with some pain. Tetsuo could have smiled in any other situation. It wasn't broken, he just probably landed on it funny, or something else. He reached the road, and saw a blue sign down the road, maybe 400-500 feet. There was some writing on it, but he couldn't make out what it was, it certainly didn't look like Japanese script. He started off towards the sign. Maybe this would give him a clue as to where in the world he was.

Reaching the sign several minutes later, Tetsuo could clearly see that there was two lines of script. One was in an odd script, something that he had never seen before. It almost looked like a mix between Chinese and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Luckily, the second line was in Latin script, something he had some familiarity with. It read: "DIGABLO—30 KM". Tetsuo wasn't sure what language the name was in, but he deduced that it was some sort of settlement, and it was 30 kilometers away. He looked around one last time. He didn't see anything else around, and he was starting to get thirsty and hungry.

"_Might as well go for it, I'll die out here."_

With that thought, Tetsuo started off towards the town. After an hour of walking, he was quickly bored. The road was flat and straight, and seemed like it would continue being that way. He began to think of his home, and panic slowly began setting in. He was in a strange, unfamiliar place, and for all he knew, he could be thousands of miles from his home. What would his parents think? What would they do? Would he ever get to seem them again? This proved a little overwhelming, and Tetsuo took a second to stop and think. His thinking however, was soon interrupted by what he hoped was a welcome sound-what sounded like motorcycle engines in the distance, behind him. He turned around, and got the biggest shock in his life.

From what he could see, an odd mix between a lion and a motorcycle, was being chased by what appeared to be a gigantic red stag beetle. Before he could react, the lion/motorcycle had shot past him at an incredible rate of speed, followed by the beetle. However, the beetle quickly flew upwards and looped around to turn around at Tetsuo. That was when Tetsuo noticed the claws and sharp rows of teeth in the beetle's mouth, something that he was definitely sure stag beetles did not have in Japan. Tetsuo turned to run but he knew the beetle was too quick, he screamed and decided to duck down, covering his face. He then heard the motorcycle engine again, followed by a loud BOOM and a roar. He looked up to see the beetle flying upwards away from him, with its wings on fire. He then felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see that the lion/motorcycle was facing him. Tetsuo stared at the creature for a second, shocked beyond words. There were more surprises in store however…

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me, or are you going to hop on, before Kuwagamon decides he wants a human side dish along with me?" the lion/motorcycle said.

Tetsuo jumped backwards in complete shock. "You…you can talk…," he managed to stammer out. The lion/motorcycle sighed. "Yes, of course I can talk. Now are you going to hop on or not? Kuwagamon isn't going to stand around all day and wait for you to decide..actually…yeah. Here he comes."

Tetsuo heard a roar and turned around to see 'Kuwagamon' swooping down, smoke trailing from his wings, his mouth wide open, revealing rows of sharp fangs, aiming right for Tetsuo and the lion. Without thinking, Tetsuo ran and went to jump onto the back of the lion/motorcycle, finding that it had a seat, foot pegs and handlebars. "Welcome abord. I'd hold on tight if I were you," the lion/motorcycle said. Tetsuo grabbed onto the handlebars for dear life as the lion/motorcycle took off into a wheelie, the back wheel spinning in the sand. The lion stabilized itself and they swerved onto the road and sped away. Tetsuo felt the wind and sand battering his face as they drove. He'd never been in or on something this fast before. It was even faster than the Shinkansen trains that he and his family took on vacations. He decided to be brave, and turned and looked behind him. The beetle wasn't in sight…what a relief..except for the fact that he was on a lion motorcycle that could talk and went really, really fast. At any rate, they reached what seemed to be Digablo in a short amount of time.

Digablo appeared to be a medium sized town, with short, circular buildings. It looked like something that would be at home in the Middle East, except for its inhabitants. Tetsuo saw creatures of many different varieties, from cat-like and dinosaur-like creatures, to creatures that looked like nothing he had ever seen before. And of course, there was the creature he happened to be riding upon. He wasn't sure whether it was an animal or machine. The top of the lion, save for the seat and handlebars, was furry, and the lion even had a huge mane. Its bottom though, resembled a motorcycle, with engine, wheels, exhaust pipe and even a kickstand. The lion drove through the town, and Tetsuo could see and feel the many eyes that were staring at him. Obviously this was a place where humans didn't come very often, if at all. He was also starting to think that maybe he wasn't on Earth. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

The lion pulled into what appeared to be a garage, and the door shut behind them. Tetsuo got off, and that was when the previous five minutes finally hit him. He started screaming his head off. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HELP ME!" Tetsuo began screaming. The lion/motorcycle looked perturbed. "Kid, you okay?" Tetsuo stopped screaming to look at the lion incredulously. "Am I okay? AM I OKAY?! I JUST RODE INTO A TOWN FULL OF MONSTERS ON TOP OF A LION MOTORCYCLE WHO RESCUED ME FROM A KILLER BEETLE! I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" The lion shook his head. "If you'll shut up, I can tell you." Tetsuo went silent at this. The lion gestured towards a couch at the end of the garage. "Sit down, and I'll explain everything, I promise." Tetsuo shook his head. This was complete madness. But, something inside of him told him to trust this lion. He must be cracking up, but he wanted to hear the reason before he did anything else.

He walked over to the couch and sat down, and was promptly rewarded with yet another shock. The lion/motorcycle _morphed_ into what appeared to be an anthromorphic lion, complete with abs, bulging muscular arms and hands, and pants. The lion quickly put a finger up to his lips as Tetsuo opened his mouth to scream again. "Yeah, it's pretty shocking. But, you gotta listen. Otherwise, you're going to die out here." Tetsuo, shocked beyond words could only nod. The lion pulled up a stool and sat across from Tetsuo. The lion extended a beefy paw. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Leomon..well, I'm MotoLeomon now, but I answer to both." Tetsuo, as if in a trance, took the lion's hand and shook it. "Tetsuo Murakami." Leomon nodded sagely. "So you're from Japan." Tetsuo's mouth dropped open. So he might be on Earth, and close to home after all. It didn't occur to him until that point that the lion was speaking fluent Japanese. "Yes…Tokyo. Where am I right now?" Leomon nodded and closed his eyes..obviously something was troubling him. He looked up. "Well, you're on Earth still. Well, sort of." Tetsuo narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

Leomon was silent for a second, and then opened his mouth. "You're in the Digital World." Tetsuo lost it. He began laughing his head off. He realized that he recognized some of the creatures, not to mention he recognized Leomon. "The Digital World. As in like the TV show Digital Monsters?" Tetsuo asked mockingly. Leomon nodded. "So, you've heard of it." Tetsuo continue to laugh. "Yes, in a TV show! I used to watch it when I was a kid..people like Daisuke Motomiya and Taichi Kamiya went to the Digital World to save it from evil..so, am I in some movie set or something?" Leomon shook his head gravely. "I knew Daisuke and Tai personally, as well as the other DigiDestined. Of course, what with the war, they're plenty busy now…." Tetsuo continued to laugh. "What war? Seriously, is this a movie?" Leomon narrowed his eyes at Tetsuo. "I can see you're not going to believe me, so I'll just show you." Before Tetsuo could say otherwise, Leomon had pressed a paw to Tetsuo's forehead, and everything went black and blank.

Tetsuo came to, but he wasn't there..it was almost like he was watching a movie (haha). He saw a huge battle taking place. On one side, he could see the Digidestined, including Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari, Yolei and Iori and their Digimon, battling what appeared to be a huge pyramid on tracks, moving towards them. Coming from the pyramid were thousands of Digimon, ranging from Kuwagamons to darker, more sinister looking Digimon. The dark Digimon surrounded the Digidestined and their partners and begin shooting crimson red and green bolts at them. Tetsuo heard Leomon begin to speak.

"_Not long after the defeat of MaloMyotismon and Oikawa, a new threat emerged to the Digital World, from realms unknown. Some say he came from a virus. Others say that he was MaloMyotismon's hidden last trick, to destroy the Digital World in case he himself was defeated. Whatever his intended purpose, Pyramidmon brought death and destruction upon the Digital World. The Digidestined tried to fight him and his army, but they only could stop him for a short period of time before it went forth."_

Tetsuo saw the Digidestined turn and ride their partners out of the battle, save for Iori. He was on the back of Pegasusmon, facing backwards, screaming his head off and crying, being physically restrained from jumping off by Takeru. That was when Tetsuo could see through the smoke, a small silouhette..Armadillomon, dead.

"_Pyramidmon and his army of dark Digimon inflicted a terrible defeat upon the Digidestined. Although their crests protected them initially, their partners were not so lucky. Armadillomon was the first to die. He wouldn't be the last. Soon, even the Digidestineds' crests proved to have little power in the Digital World. Pyramidmon was too dark, too powerful, he was able to corrupt the crests into weakness. And once that happened, he took total control."_

Suddenly, the scene changed to a town, on fire. Digimon were running and flying out of the town as dark Digimon laid waste to it, burning and destroying anything they could reach. In the distance, Tetsuo saw the Digidestined moving towards a TV monitor, which he recognized as a portal back to the real world. Daisuke waved them towards the monitor, screaming. "We need to go! Now! Before it's too late!" One by one, the Digidestined and their partners went through the portal. Daisuke was the last to go through, but before he did, he turned to a Renamon that was next to him. The Renamon looked out at the village. "It is a shame, but you need to go now. You've already lost so many of your friends..we cannot afford for you to die either." Daisuke nodded. "We will return." Renamon nodded. "We know. Now go, quickly!" Daisuke nodded and turned to go through the portal, and went through, just as a red bolt destroyed the monitor.

"_The Digidestined, powerless to do anything, returned back home, to formulate a plan to stop Pyramidmon. What seemed to be hours and days for them were years and decades here. Eventually, Pyramidmon gained dominion over the Digital World. His reign was brutal. Digimon disappeared, never to return again. Villages and towns that rebelled against his rule were simply wiped off of the map. There was no hope..but two Digidestined, they did return, and they did end the rule of Pyramidmon.."_

The scene shifted again to a dark, glowing battlefield. Digimon from both sides were attacking one another, and in the middle of it, Pyramidmon was doing battle with Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, with Takeru and Hikari astride their partners. "ALRIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!" Takeru shouted to Hikari. Hikari yelled back, "YEAH! WE ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO DO THIS!" They both raised their Digivices in the air, and the small devices began to glow.

"PEGASUSMON….WARP DIGIVOLVE TO…..!"

"NEFERTIMON….WARP DIGIVOLVE TO…!"

"OPHANIMON!"

Tetsuo saw a beautiful, angel Digimon emerge from the light, and point her staff at Pyramidmon. From her shoulder, he saw Takeru and Hikari both yell, "GO!"

Ophanimon closed her eyes, and a bright light shined at the end of her staff.

"EDEN'S JAVELIN!"

A beam of pure light shot out of the staff and at Pyramidmon, piercing him. Pyramidmon made no noise that Tetsuo could hear, but he felt a low rumbling, and then his vision was blinded by the brightest light he had ever seen. When it subsided, the battlefield had become lit by the sun once more to reveal a barren plain, and Pyramidmon was no more. Within a short amount of time, the dark Digimon who remained were either defeated and destroyed, or fled. The scene slowly went dark, and Leomon's garage came into focus once more.

Tetsuo was speechless. It was the most breathtaking thing he had ever seen. He looked up to face Leomon. "I believe you now..but what does this all have to do with me? And how do you fit into all this?" Leomon smiled. "I'm not done telling the story yet. After Pyramidmon was defeated, order and peace returned to the Digital World. Rebuilding would take years, as a matter fact, we are still rebuilding and recovering from the war. But, we are free once more, and the Digidestined recovered the power of the crests. However, those dark Digimon who escaped were able to form a resistance movement of their own, and have been harassing Digimon throughout the Digital World. They haven't been able to do any serious damage, but most Digimon don't travel alone outside the major settlements such as this one. The Digidestined realized that they can't patrol the entire Digital World by themselves, so they used the power of the crests and Digivices to bring other people into the Digital World, to help police and protect it."

Tetsuo began laughing again. "So, you're saying I'm some kind of Digimon Sheriff, who's supposed to protect the Digital World from dark Digimon?" Leomon's face ended any laughter. "Actually, yes."

TO BE CONTINUED.


End file.
